House of Strife (Poisoned Houses Book 4)

by Lyn Forester

  The Blue Guards give chase, and I focus on Skittles’ back. At the end of the block, the neon lights from Club Razor will give way to blackness, and I struggle to pull my night-goggles into position with one hand, the other trapped in Felix’s hot grasp. Declan keeps up with Skittles, and if not for me, I’m sure Felix would easily take the lead.

  Skittles and Declan make it to the corner and vanish from sight.

  Air burns in my lungs as I push my legs to go faster, to make it to the corner.

  Then the kid zips past us, and dread tightens like a noose around my throat. He’s supposed to take up the rear. I glance to my right, expecting to see Connor, and find only empty sidewalk.

  I twist to stare back over my shoulder, my pace slowing.

  Felix’s hold on my hand tightens, and he nearly yanks my arm from the socket as I slam to a stop.

  I stumble a few steps forward, then yank my hand free.

  His panicked voice follows me. “Sparks, wha—”

  “Connor!” One of the Blue Guards has him pressed against the wall face first.

  His eyes meet mine and widen in panic. “Keep going!”

  But my feet already carry me forward, desperate to free him.

  The guard still in pursuit dodges to the side, baton ready to block me, and Felix flies past my shoulder, catching the woman off guard. His arm sweeps the baton to the side as his fist catches her in the side of the head.

  I grab the baton as her hand slackens around it, still moving forward. The guard who holds Connor captive sees me coming and swears as he shoves Connor hard, then releases him to bring up his baton in a ready position.

  I press the lever on the side of the baton I hold and energy vibrates against my palm. My pulse crashes in my ears to block out all other noise.

  The Blue Guard grins, widening his stance as I near, baton raised. I’ve never used a baton before, never even swung a stick. I won’t be a match for someone trained to fight.

  But I don’t have to be.

  From behind, Connor slams his foot up between the guard’s legs.

  It doesn’t take him down, but it distracts him long enough for me to shove the baton against his gut.

  Every muscle in his body stiffens as he falls backward.

  Down the block, our fight gained the attention of the other guards, and they abandon the crowd to pound toward us.

  Connor dodges around our fallen guard, and I turn to run back the way I came. Felix has the other guard on the ground, and we shout for him to run. He takes one look at the oncoming guards and spins on his heel, his pace slow until we catch up.

  We make it to the corner and yank up our night goggles. I don’t see Skittles or Declan, and anger rolls through me that he left us behind, but I don’t have time to dwell on that as we dodge down an alley and take refuge behind a stinking dumpster. The twins shove me against the metal side, with Connor next to me and Felix on his other side. It puts Felix in the most vulnerable position, but he’s also our best fighter if it comes to that.

  The guards pound past, and I breathe a sigh of relief that cuts short when more steps follow.

  “Are you sure they went this way?” a female voice growls, and I recognize her as the first Blue Guard who called out to us.

  “No,” her partner grunts. “Damn city is a maze at Lights-Out. But we have our orders.”

  “Are you sure that was the Arrington kid in the group?” Their footsteps scuff in front of the alley. “He was painted up like a Night Pirate.”

  Fear shakes my hands, and I reach out for Connor, my other hand tightening on the baton I still hold. Was Delcan recognized when we went into Club Razor? Was the fight staged to drive us out?

  “Pretty sure,” the other guard grunts. “And if I’m wrong, what’s one more dead pirate?”

  Connor squeezes my hands hard, and the pain helps clear away my panic.

  “We’re splitting the cut even if it’s him.” Their steps enter the alley. “I’m not risking my career for thirty percent.”

  “Don’t get greedy on me. I keep quiet about your aphremore habit, don’t I?”

  Her steps pause, followed by a scuff. “Are you threatening me?”

  “Just reminding you what a good partner I am.”

  I clutch the baton and glance down the alley in the opposite direction of the guards. While we’re hidden right now, we won’t be for long if they come far enough to pass the dumpster. But if we make a run for the next street down, we’ll be completely exposed, and batons aren’t the only weapons Blue Guards carry. Cut off from the rest of the guards, there’s nothing to stop them from pulling the psy-guns locked at their hips.

  If we’re lucky, they’ll use the stun setting. But if I were in their place, I wouldn’t risk us escaping at this point. Not when it will become obvious we could hear their conversation. Not when we could testify against them.

  The female guard breaks the tense silence. “Yeah, I hear you.”

  Their steps continue farther into the alley, and Connor tenses next to me, readying for a fight. Reluctant, I release his hand and plant my heel against the wall at my back, prepared to spring forward as soon as the first guard comes into view.

  All we have is the element of surprise on our side.

  I wish for time to tell Connor and Felix I love them, to settle things between me and Nikola, to warn Declan his brother was right and the Blue Guard want his family dead. I wish to see the stars again and sit under the glow of the dual suns. But there’s only this moment, in a grimy alley, in a world washed out to shades of green.

  A leg appears, followed by a spark of light as the Blue Guard’s head swivels back and forth, searching.

  “What the hell?” the other guard shouts, and a crash comes from the alley’s entrance.

  The guard in front of us spins away to help her partner.

  Not waiting for a better opening, we spring out of our hiding spot. I swing the baton at the back of the woman’s head. It bounces off with a hollow, meaty thump and she half spins back toward us before she crumples to her knees.

  At the end of the alley, the other guard wrestles with someone on the ground. They roll across the dirty cement and come up against the far wall with the Blue Guard on top. As his fist hammers down at his opponent, a small figure darts into the alley.

  I recognize the Night Pirate kid as his arm swings forward, a knife in his fist.

  “Don’t kill him!” I shout, but too late.

  The knife buries in the side of the Blue Guard’s neck, and the kid bounces back out of range. The guard lurches to his feet, hand at his neck to staunch the flow of blood.

  I rush forward, spinning him to face me. “Who hired you?”

  He lets out a wet, gurgling noise, blood flowing down his front. It slicks over the fists I clench in his uniform in a hot rush that registers like glitter in the night goggles, beautiful in its gore.

  Disgusted, I release him, and he falls to the side to land with a solid thud on the ground, taking with him the name of the person in the Blue Guards who sponsored a hit on House Arrington.

  The other person on the ground groans and sits up, a hand held to his face, and my heart trips. Declan. He came back to help. He didn’t abandon us.

  Connor and Felix come up next to me.

  Felix kneels at Declan’s side, hand at his elbow to help him stand. “Come on. We got you. You did good.”

  “Not enough.” Declan coughs wetly, blood sparkling on his face when he drops his hand. “I’m too out of practice.”

  “What should we do with this one?” Skittles calls from behind us.

  I jump in fright. I didn’t even register her walking past us, but she now stands over the female Blue Guard.

  Skittles’ boot pops out to slam against guard’s stomach, eliciting a groan. “She’s alive if you want to question her. You say someone hired these two?”

  “The guy was definitely hired.” Connor’s hand finds my back, and he pulls me closer. “His partner was going to get a cut
for helping, but we don’t know how much she can tell us.”

  “She’s not awake enough to answer questions and carting her body around will slow us down.” Skittles nudges her again. “Your call.”

  “We’ll miss our chance to return to school,” Connor murmurs.

  “Would be worth it if she knows something,” Felix growls.

  My gut clenches. This is too good an opportunity to pass up, but it might expose us all at the same time. “If we don’t go back, Myrrine and Nikola will have to hide to cover for wearing our trackers. All of us missing will look too suspicious.”

  “Not all of you have to stay.” Skittles bends and hefts the unconscious woman off the ground, tossing her over her shoulder like a bag of rice. “Felix can stay and bear witness.”

  “I’ll do it,” he says instantly before anyone else can protest.

  Declan shakes his head, then groans in pain. “You’re on probation. You can’t risk it.”

  “We’re all on probation,” Felix snaps.

  Declan’s voice quiets. “Not like you are.”

  “Let’s discuss it on the way back, shall we?” Skittles bounces the guard into a better position on her shoulder. “You can argue until we reach the portal, then decide.”

  “What abou’ this’un?” The kid crouches to retrieve his knife.

  “Strip the shine and put the body where one of the Street Sweepers can pick it up.” Skittles strides toward the street. “When you’re done, meet back at base. I’ll mark you up proper.”

  “Yes’m.” From his pocket, he pulls out a cloth sack and sets it on the ground next to the body.

  I turn away as he starts to strip off the guard’s uniform. My gut tells me he would have killed us tonight if the kid didn’t stop him, and I can’t dredge up regret at the loss of his life.

  It was him or us, and I will always choose us.

  Things Left Half-Done

  By the time we make it back to Skittles’ building and step back through the portal, Felix convinces us that he needs to be the one to stay behind.

  Part of his argument includes the bruise forming on Connor’s cheek, visible even through the gray paint, and the way his right pupil stays blown even when we enter the fully lit office. The Blue Guard shoved him into the wall harder than I realized. I’m surprised he’s still on his feet right now.

  Declan limps and holds his ribs, while blood coats the entire bottom half of his face from his nose and a split lip. It turns the gray dust on his face black and makes me worry about infection.

  My offer to stay behind is met with a resounding no from everyone involved.

  When Skittles throws the unconscious Blue Guard onto the sofa, she doesn’t make a sound, which concerns me. I thought the cold of passing between the portals would rouse her and now worry if she’ll wake up at all.

  Did I hit her too hard in the head? I’ve never knocked someone out to know how much force to use without causing permanent damage. What if we brought her here, and Felix risks his probation with the school by missing class, only to have her die without giving us any information?

  Skittles thrusts a sanitizing wipe under my nose, the burn of chemicals knocking me out of my thoughts. I take it and step up to Connor, lifting the wipe to his face. The blood on my hands startles me, red and crusted over my knuckles from the guard we left in the alley. I wait for the horror that should follow, but feel only numb as I take a moment to wipe them clean, erasing the evidence of his death.

  Grabbing another wipe, I turn back to Connor and help him clean the makeup off his face. It comes off with surprising ease, revealing scratches at the center of the bruise. He hisses with pain as I clean them out, but otherwise doesn’t move.

  “Don’t you know how to keep your arms up?” Felix mutters behind us.

  I glance over my shoulder to find him in front of Declan, the wipe in his hand covering half of Declan’s face as he scrubs away the paint and blood without sympathy.

  Declan hesitantly reaches out to grip his waist. “The people I love were in danger. I had other things on my mind besides protecting my face.”

  Felix scrubs his face harder, covering his eyes in the process. “You don’t get to throw that around right now.”

  Wincing, Declan reaches up to pull his hands down. “I’d have thrown it around earlier if you didn’t get violent at the first hint of a relationship.”

  “Just like you would have told me sooner that you planned to leave if— Oh, wait, you weren’t going to tell me.” Felix throws the wipe at him and turns away. “Clean up the rest yourself. I have better things to do than look after you.”

  As he stomps toward the door, I reach out and grab his arm. “Felix, wait.”

  He stops and turns toward me, the scowl melting away from his lips. His hand lifts to my face. “You okay, Sprinkles? You didn’t get hurt?”

  “No, I’m fine.” I search his face. “What about you?”

  He gives me a rueful smile. “Guards never got near me.”

  I glance back at Declan who sits with his head down, the sanitizing wipe hanging unused in his hand. “That’s not what I meant.”

  Felix’s hand moves to cup the back of my head, and he pulls me in for a fast kiss. “Take care of my brother, okay? I’ll be back at the next shift change.”

  I nod. “I will.”

  He turns to Connor. “No more making out with brick walls. It’s not good for you.”

  Connor glares, the effect somewhat lost by the pallor of his skin. “If I didn’t think I’d puke, I’d punch you for saying that.”

  “You’d try.” Felix steps back. “You’d think with all the time you spend running on the track, you wouldn’t have been caught. Sloppy, bro, super sloppy.”

  Connor lifts his hand, middle finger up.

  Felix grins and calls over his shoulder, “Skittles, I’m going to take a piss. Don’t start interrogating without me.”

  “Don’t go snooping! I’ll know!” Skittles yells as he disappears through the open door.

  “Here, let me get your makeup off.” Connor bends to grab a fresh wipe from the box on the table and sways, his face turning slightly green.

  “Sit down.” I slip an arm around his waist and help him to the empty seat next to Declan. “I’ll clean myself up. You should change.”

  His uniform shirt still sits neatly folded on the table, and I push it toward him, then grab the wipes and get to work on my face. We don’t have a lot of time left, and I don’t like leaving Felix behind. That puts our team two short of complete. Even if it’s only temporary, it feels like our foundation is shaking, and I remember March’s words about us being out of sync.

  Anxious energy hums beneath my skin, and I toss the used wipe into the trash, then pull the black cap off my hair. Loosening my bun doesn’t help me feel less confined, and I unzip the jacket, pulling it off to give myself more room to breathe.

  As it lands with a soft thud on the coffee table, Declan’s head jerks up, his tired eyes sweeping around the room before they settle on me.

  Walking over to stand in front of him, I run light fingers over his jaw. “What are you going to tell your brother about your injuries?”

  He shrugs. “I’ll tell him I was attacked.”

  “They wanted to kill you, Dec.” I brush the hair back from his forehead. “Someone put out a hit on you. You’re not safe here.”

  He attempts to smile without splitting his lip back open. “I’m not safe at Arrington Manor, either.”

  “Is leaving really the only option for you?” The question slips past my lips before it fully forms in my mind.

  His hands clench into fists. “You know why I can’t stay.”

  My pulse quickens. “Then come be my secretary.”

  His mouth drops open in shock. “What?”

  Connor straightens in his seat. “What?”

  “Interesting,” Skittles purrs.

  Now that the idea sunk its hooks into me, a weight lifts from my shoulders. “Come be my
secretary. You’ll have a say in policies. We can work together.”

  His brows sweep together. “Be your servant?”

  “Be my partner.” I cup his face. “Stay in Leton. Work things out with Felix. Keep your friendships instead of throwing them away to go somewhere where no one knows you.”

  His tongue darts out to wet his lips, and he winces. “What about Nikola?”

  I freeze, unprepared for that question.

  His fingers circle my wrists, and he gently pulls my hands down. “You don’t need multiple secretaries, Sparks.”

  Anger spikes through me, and I bend to put our faces close together. “I don’t need multiple lovers, either. Would you like to take yourself out of the running on that as well?”

  “I’m still okay with being the only one,” Connor puts in. “We work quite nicely together.”

  I turn to give him my best seductive smile. “Yes, we do. We should do that again.”

  He pushes to his feet. “I’m not supposed to sleep with a concussion. As my caregiver, it’s your responsibility to find a way to keep me awake.”

  I straighten as well. “I can think of a few pleasant ways to pass the time.”

  Heat shimmers in his eyes, and he takes my hand. “We should get going. Now.”

  “Why are you guys still here?” Felix demands as he walks back into the room. He still wears the makeup, so I can only assume he took a walk to cool his head. He takes in Declan’s tension, and the way Connor and I hold hands. “Something I should know?”

  “Yeah. They’re sleeping together.” Declan jerks his chin toward me and Connor.

  Felix lifts one brow. “And?”

  “What, you, too?” Angry, Declan gets to his feet. “Has everything changed while I’ve been gone?”

  “One, that’s none of your business.” Felix strides forward to stand across the table from him. “Two, no, Caitlyn and I are taking things slow. Figuring things out at our own pace.” He gives me a sweet smile before his expression hardens once more, and he faces Declan. “And, yes, a lot is changing while you’re gone. Since you plan to leave, you should get used to that.”